More than 40 center right groups led by Grover Norquist and the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) have written Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) supporting his opposition to a government role in the nation's 5G network.

Thune led his own letter from a group of Senate Republicans to President Trump last week taking strong issue with a Trump Administration (Defense Department) request for input on a government-managed 5G network. DOD is concerned about the cybersecurity of the network given that 5G will be the platform for an Internet of Things-connected world with billions of devices.

Related: Pai Opposes Nationalized 5G Net

The groups are concerned that the input request is essentially window dressing on a request for proposal (RFP) DOD is already committed to.

"We write to thank you for your recent letter supporting the American competitive approach to 5G deployment, which is private sector driven and private sector led," said ATR and company. "We agree that nationalizing 5G and experimenting with untested models for 5G deployment is not the way the United States wins the 5G race. Deployment of 5G should not rely on the government but should focus on unleashing the private sector and the free market. 

"We too are concerned with the Department of Defense Request for Information on a government-managed process for 5G development and are alarmed with how quickly it is proceeding.2 Even more disturbing are the rumors3 that the RFI was only for show and that the DoD already has an RFP it plans to greenlight."

Amid similar concerns last year about nationalizing the net to ensure its security from foreign attacks, the President signaled that he favored a private sector-driven approach.

FCC chair Ajit Pai is scheduled to testify at a Senate Appropriations Committee Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing Thursday (Oct. 17). 

The subcommittee is marking up the FY2020 Financial Services & General Government Funding Bill, which includes the FCC's allocation. 

Pai will most likely talk about budgets, but spectrum is also a possibility since FCC auctions have produced billions of revenue for the treasury. 

Look for the issue of whether the FCC should auction the C-band midband spectrum for 5G (with money going to the Treasury) or allow private transactions (with most of that money changing hands in the private sector) to come up during questioning. That is according to a satellite industry source and buttressed by a letter to the subcommittee from Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) president, Grover Norquist. 

Norquist and ATR now endorse the C-Band Alliance proposal of secondary market transactions rather than an FCC auction. While ATR is usually for the government getting as much money for the treasury as it can from other than individual taxpayers, Norquist said the CBA's anticipation of some contribution to the Treasury is sufficient. 

ATR had initially opposed the CBA plan, but commitments to the process would be more transparent, and could potentially clear more spectrum--up to 300 MHz rather than the 200 MHz had initially signaled--helped turn the tide. 

Be it an auction or private deals, Pai has signaled he expects a plan for freeing up some spectrum in that band to be ready for a vote by the end of the year.